Our greatest untapped gold mine is growing on trees

There are statistics that merely inform. Then there are statistics that should embarrass a nation.

Namibia imports approximately 96% of the fruit consumed within its borders, with almost all of those imports coming from South Africa. For a country blessed with perennial rivers, vast tracts of arable land, abundant sunshine and decades of investment in agricultural education, this is nothing short of a national failure.

It is not a natural disaster. It is not bad luck. It is a self-made crisis.

Yet, within every crisis lies opportunity. This one could become one of the greatest economic opportunities Namibia has seen since Independence.

For years we have spoken passionately about diversification. We have debated value addition, youth unemployment, food security and rural development. We have written countless strategies and launched numerous initiatives. But the fruit in our supermarkets continues to travel hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres before reaching our shelves.

Every imported apple, orange, grape, avocado and peach represents jobs that could have existed in Namibia.

Every truck crossing the border carries not only fruit but income, taxes, processing opportunities and employment that belong to another economy.

That should concern every Namibian.

We often point to mining as our economic backbone. Yet mining is finite. Ore bodies are eventually exhausted. Diamonds become harder to find. Global commodity prices fluctuate beyond our control.